Artist Tip of the Day: Plan tomorrow's schedule before you go to bed. This gives you a more stress-free and controlled day to be more productive in what you want to do and need to accomplish.

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This is something I've found has worked for me for years, and every so often I'll forget it works, struggle for a month or so, and rediscover schedules. Organizing your time in the most realistic way possible can really benefit your life in more ways than one. After a while, you'll start to realize just how much more time you have and how much more alert and productive you become.

I should note that there is no such thing as "the perfect schedule for artists". It'll be different for everyone depending what your goals are. Schedule your goals, add in reasonable breaks, include times for food and possibly 2 hours max of flexible time. Breaks and flexible times are not the same, mind you. Flexible time could be something outside of your control. Although that sounds scary to have anything disrupt your newly made chart, take a deep breath and don't fret. Schedules are meant as guidelines anyway. Follow them as close as possible, and continue to build on your skills. If you missed your "10AM - go outside and sketch for an hour", try again the next day. Life happens, and it'll continue to move one second at a time. If it helps, think of your listed schedules as classes: something with a set time frame and that you're paying for so by not attending you're losing money. Technically in this sense you wouldn't be losing money, but you will be losing time which is something you cannot replace or replenish on. Make the most of your day, and always find ways of keeping positive and productive.

If you need a challenge: change your sleep schedule to waking up at 6AM and going to bed at 10PM. That gives you 8 hours of rest, which is the recommended time for the average human (adults and children alike) to recharge. If you're like most you enjoy sleeping in and waking at the crack of noon. There's so many amazing things that happen when the sun just breaks from the horizon. Give it a chance. If nothing else, you're up early while the world may still be asleep, and that already makes you feel you're ahead of the game.